Palace says government anti-graft fight
continues
Malacanang said it remains committed to fighting
graft and corruption in the country in the midst of reports that the Philippine
government lost more than P101 billion to graft last year.
“We have never become complacent when it comes
to pursuing anti-graft and anti-corruption measures,” Deputy Presidential
spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview Saturday over state-run
dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
Media reports, citing data from the Commission
on Audit (COA), said a huge amount of public money was lost to several forms of
graft by which public funds are stolen, misused, or mishandled.
But Valte clarified that the media made a wrong
conclusion in making the report after obviously citing just one report when in
fact there are other datas made available by the COA.
“It seems that nagkaroon ng conclusion doon sa
isang parte nung report nila na automatically just because there were some
audit findings biglang ang conclusion it was lost to graft,” Valte said.
Citing COA chair Ma. Gracia Pulido-Tan, Valte
said that the financial loss mentioned in media reports did not necessarily
result from graft, as it is only the courts that can make such a judgment.
Valte also noted it was clear from the COA
report that unliquidated cash advances mentioned in December 2011 were
accumulated from prior years. PND (as/1:02pm)
Schools must follow NDRRMC advice for safer
educational tours, says Malacanang
Malacanang said schools must follow the
recommendations of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) asking for clear rules before schools allow students to go on
educational tours.
The NDRRMC issued a statement following the
recent tragedy in Boracay Island where a student drowned during an educational
field trip.
“Magandang bagay ang hinihingi ng NDRRMC para
maisama naman ang disaster preparedness. Dapat matagal na panahong pinaghahandaan,”
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview over
dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday.
“Maganda na masimulan sa mga estudyante natin,
sa mga mag-aaral na bata pa lang na alam na po nila at maidikdik natin sa
kanilang pag-iisip kung ano ang kailangan for disaster preparedness.”
The NDRRMC said schools must have rules in place
to prevent a repeat of the Boracay incident noting that students joining field
trips must be briefed on the risks when going swimming or hiking.
Schools must also instruct students to look for
the nearest tourist assistance center for help if there are emergencies, the
NDRRMC noted. PND (as/2:41pm)
